Naga's Story
by QueenHimiko
Summary: Growing up in the Seyruun Royal Court is bound to warp anyone's character. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I don't own _The Slayers_ , I just play in the sandbox.**

* * *

 _Now for a little courage,_ Naga thought to herself as she hid behind one of the heavy tapestries and unscrewed her flask. She chugged the wine within, and then wiped her mouth as she stared out at the court, presided over by her grandfather, King Eldoran. Somehow the grey, shrunken man still managed to project an aura of power, even though Naga and the other immediate members of the royal family knew his health was starting to fail. Even then, he smiled warmly as he watched as his youngest granddaughter charmed the court.

Naga yearned for the ease with which her eight-year-old sister, Amelia, addressed the court as she turned toward them, causing the skirts of her rufflely pink dress to sway hypnotically as the crowd of nobles gave sounds of approval while Naga's parents, Crowned Prince Philionel and Crowned Princess Tesla, watched with unbridled pride. Amelia wasn't even caught off guard as she tripped a little on the way to the podium! Any embarrassment washed off her back as the nobles muttered about what a cutie she was to each other.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Amelia began, and somehow her childish high pitched voice managed to carry through the ballroom, "I, Princess Amelia, welcome you tonight! Thank you for coming to hear me talk about a very important subject!"

Amelia paused dramatically for a moment as Naga drank some more wine, and then Amelia posed dramatically as she said, "Justice! A kingdom where every citizen follows the path of justice is a good and prosperous kingdom! And to facilitate this growth, I will share with you a song I wrote that is to be taught to every child in the kingdom to instill the values of justice in their hearts."

The gathered nobles nodded approvingly as they clapped. Amelia bowed her head and waited for the applause to die down before she started to sing what was a silly little jingle about justice. Nevertheless, the crowd was thoroughly charmed by it as Naga wondered how the ability to go into a crowd of people without being overwhelmed by the fear of embarrassment was something that her parents and younger sister had, yet missed her entirely.

Amelia finished her song and beamed as the nobles clapped, while Phil picked her up as Tesla put a hand on her back as she let out her shrill laugh, "Oh ho ho! Our daughter, Amelia! One of the many gems our kingdom has to offer! With our passion for peace, we are able to channel that energy other kingdoms put to war into the arts, education, as well as useful spells. Now, I, Crowned Princess Tesla, shall reveal to the world a spell of my own creation, Chaos String!"

Naga's flesh grew warm as the wine started to take its effect and the nervousness died down, steeling Naga to prepare for her entrance. Arriving late to the party was a lazy way to steal the scene, but it was the best way that she could do it. And as Tesla constantly drilled into her, attention is currency at the court, and currency is power.

Meanwhile, Tesla cast her spell, and tendrils of energy formed around a statue so large that Tesla never would have been able to lift it on her own. Yet she effortlessly moved it across the room, and the nobles clapped approvingly. "Naturally this spell is extremely useful. From rearranging the home to construction, to even saving people after a building collapses…"

Naga stashed the flask between her breasts, and lamented the fact that dresses with low cut bodices had recently became popular. She felt as though she was going to spill out of her dress at any moment! She adjusted the violet velvet material and looked down, but all she saw was the white curviness of her breasts bordered by the gold trim of her dress, and not a hint of the flask in the crack where the twin peaks touched. Then she boldly stepped out from behind the tapestry and let the laugh go. It was a laugh that all royal woman who could become queen one day were trained in.

"It is I, Princess Gracia Ul Naga Seyruun!" she said as she felt everyone's eyes upon her as the flask seemed to push against the front of her bodice, straining it so that for a moment she feared it would burst, leaving her topless in front of the whole court! Visions of her father, grandfather and uncles, Christopher and Randionel, as well as her creepy cousin Alfred, seeing her topless rose, along with a sense of panic as she realized too late that she had not drank nearly enough wine for this. The carefully prepared speech she had planned to give vanished from her mind, as the only thing she could think about was how to direct the attention away from her until she could be sure that her bodice was up to its gargantuan task. "Z-zelas Gort!"

The nobles screamed in collective unison as a giant jellyfish materialized in the ballroom. Men and women tripped over themselves as they raced away, trampling others underfoot as the slimy tentacles reached out and grabbed several of the nobles.

"Let me go!"

"My dress! Do you know how much I paid for this? It's ruined!" another screamed.

Once again, Naga felt the people's eyes on her as they stared at her accusingly, and the urge to cry rose up. "Sorry!" she said as her mother came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, and she suddenly remembered her admonishment that a princess never apologizes. But it felt so unnatural! A strange dissonance rose, and all Naga could do was to laugh manically as the nobles stared at her in horror. What else was there to do?

* * *

Quietly Tesla whispered into her ear, "Well, Naga, I'll say, this is the definition of a tough act to follow. People will be talking about this for months!"

"That was an interesting trick." Princess Lucrezia, visiting from Dils, said as she posed in her dress, which was embroidered with real gold, so that it shined majestically. "I must say, I am quite relieved it didn't ruin my dress."

 _Brush it off._ Naga told herself, _A princess never gives a damn._

"It was nothing, really. Magic just comes so naturally."

Lucrezia cocked her head, "I must say, you are the split image of your mother."

"Thank you." Naga said, genuinely this time. If there was anything she was confident of, it was that she inherited her mother's renowned beauty.

"I just can't decide." Lucrezia said quizzically, "Is your mother a thirty-year-old who looks sixteen, or are you a sixteen-year-old who looks thirty?"

Naga started to stutter as Tesla came up and put a hand on her shoulder, "I bath in the blood of virgins to keep my looks. I can suggest the recipe, but unfortunately it doesn't do much to repair the damage age has already wrought in your case, Lucrezia."

Lucrezia's cheeks flushed as Tesla led her daughter away. "What did I tell you about ever letting anyone have the upper hand?"

"I'm trying." Naga sighed as she admired the ease with which her mother could navigate the sheer nastiness of the royal court. This was something that, at least, Naga knew that Amelia was going to struggle with. Both had inherited their father's sweet nature, and as a small child Naga was adored for her sweetness. Yet when puberty hit, that sweetness became a liability.

"You can do better. You're my daughter for goodness sake! Act like it! Don't let anyone think they're better than you."

"What can I say? Humility was a virtue I was born with that must have skipped a generation."

Tesla paused, and then she patted Naga on the shoulder, "I keep saying you have it in you. Keep that up! And work on that performance anxiety!"

"My, my Aunt Tessie, what a lovely gown you have on." Alfred said as he butted in. "And you, too, are looking splendid tonight, Naga."

Tesla laughed as Naga scowled. Unlike everyone else in the palace, she simply could not abide her cousin, Alfred. His flattery seemed insincere, even by the standards of the royal court!

"You are growing nicely yourself." Tesla remarked.

"Why thank you, Aunt Tessie. I must say, you must be proud of Amelia."

"We are indeed." Tesla agreed as a noblewoman came up to talk to Alfred. "Excuse us."

Naga thought she would be sick as the young woman threw herself wantonly at Alfred, but did her best to mask her feelings as she continued to walk with her mother, who stated, "All these handsome young men from so many kingdoms, yet you're spending all your time with me. Get out, mingle!"

Naga looked out at the sea of nobles and felt nothing for any of them. No stirrings of longing and nothing but an objective measure of how attractive each was as an individual. But none of them stoked any sort of flame. They were just a bunch of vain, insincere money grubbers puffing their chests and making themselves feel better by putting each other down. Still, it didn't seem right that she didn't feel even a primal, base bodily attraction to any of them. She wondered what was wrong with her as she shrugged nonchalantly and said, "No one here stands out as good enough for me."

* * *

Naga was relieved that there were no big events planned for the following day. It meant that she would have plenty of time to pursue her true passion. Stealthily she left her family apartments and ducked behind a statue that covered a secret passage and started the navigate the tunnels within. As a child she had spent a lot of time exploring these passages in an attempt to eavesdrop on others to gather information, and along the way she had discovered that there was a small chamber hidden behind the library. Likely at one time it had been used as an office, but through the years and subsequent remodels it had been covered and forgotten. But Naga had quickly put it to use, creating a private getaway where she could hide when she needed to. And given that her jellyfish debacle was still being discussed endlessly, with the subsequent conversations on whether she was right in the head or simply a bimbo, she needed a place to hide.

 _If only they knew where my true strengths lie,_ she thought to herself as she cast a light spell and looked at her treasured collection on black magic. Naturally a kingdom like Seyruun did not have many volumes on it, and what works it did have were old. But it was a start! One day she would proudly proclaim her proficiency in the field and damn all consequences and order works from the guilds of other kingdoms on black magic. But for now, she knew her father would disapprove if he learned that she was scouring the kingdom for tombs on black magic. What would it do to her image? To the kingdom's image? No, that was a confrontation for another day.

Of course, it wasn't a complete secret. Amelia had gone looking for her one day and found her secret, but Naga had bought her silence in exchange for teaching her some spells. And it turned out to be a nice place where they could get away from the pressures of court and spend time with each other without worrying about keeping up appearances. So Naga didn't mind that Amelia knew. That was, until the moment when Amelia arrived, followed by Alfred. "Nice place you have here." He said.

"What did I tell you about bringing others here?" Naga asked Amelia, incensed.

"It's just Alfred." Amelia said, unfazed by her anger, "He's on our side!"

But Naga glared at Alfred suspiciously, "Sure. Why is it that a teenage boy is spending so much time playing dolls with his eight-year-old cousin?"

"Amelia is a charming young girl." Alfred said innocently.

Naga continued to glare at him, "Don't even think of trying to marry her."

"What!?" Amelia squeaked.

Naga continued, "We royals may be an in bred lot but no one will tolerate a marriage between first cousins! And even then, I'd still be between you and that throne you want so badly."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Your father is next in line fair and square. It doesn't bother me like it does my father. I still can't see why you can't accept my undying love for you. And while I was broken hearted that you did not return my affection…"

Naga felt a nibble of doubt in her mind. What if she was being too hard on him? What if his motives were innocent? Still, her gut was screaming at her not to trust Alfred, "Go!"

"I won't stay where I'm not wanted." Alfred said amicably, and the guilt rose a bit as she doubted her instincts. Still, when he left relief washed over her as she leaned back against the wall.

"Please don't be mad, sissy." Amelia said. "And I don't know why you don't like him so much. He's very sweet."

"He asked me to elope with him a year ago." Naga explained.

Amelia gasped, "But he must have been playing. I know Uncle Christopher is bitter, but Alfred isn't."

Naga patted her on the head, "Just keep one eye open with him at all time. He knows that marrying either of us will make him a strong contender for the throne and doesn't give a damn about the ick factor. And if not us, he's going to trick some high ranking woman into marrying him one way or another. Don't let it be you."

* * *

"What did my girls do today?" Phil asked over dinner.

"I played with Alfred!" Amelia said before Naga had a chance to say anything. She tried not to let her annoyance show as she ate.

"Did you see your Uncle Christopher?" Phil asked.

"Yeah, we were at their chambers." Amelia explained. "Uncle Christopher was in a sour mood. He kept ranting about how he should be Crowned Prince. But Daddy, if he was favored, he would have been born first. It is the order of things."

"Yes," Phil agreed, "He just gets upset. Sometimes Christopher and I have differences of opinion over how to address something. He disagrees with how I'm handling the situation on the border with the Elmekian Empire, so he's letting off steam right now. Sometimes being a hero of justice means being the better person and letting less worthy people have their little pity parties so they say!"

"Oh, when you put it like that, it makes sense! Thank you, Daddy!" Amelia sang.

"Christopher really should shut his mouth, though. It wouldn't do if word got out that he was criticizing you for not blasting the war horn…" Tesla said.

"And turn that war horn against my own subjects?" Phil asked.

"Your blind trust in justice is charming, darling, but the world just doesn't work like that." Tesla said.

"It's not about trust, Tessie. Justice triumphs because heroes of justice intervene for the good." Phil explained. "Anyway, Gracia…"

"'Gracia' is my batty old grandmother." Naga snapped. "I've told you over and over, call me 'Naga', after my cool grandmother."

"Um, yes, Naga," he said, "I'm worried, I heard from Alfred that you're researching black magic."

Naga glared at Amelia, "That sneak!"

"Why can't you just study white magic?"

"Because it's so boring." Naga said. "Besides, I learned all the spells so quickly. I need a new challenge!"

"But it's in keeping with our values…" Phil persisted.

"Honestly! You spend hours playing heroes and villains with Amelia and teach her how to throw a punch, how the hell is that in keeping with your pacifist values?"

Phil blanched as Tesla sipped her wine with a smirk. "That's different! Our Amelia is such a delicate flower that she'd never be able to hurt anyone! But with those spells, you could cause a lot of damage. But with white magic, you could heal the injured and sick…"

"I can do Resurrection." Naga said, "I don't like it being around sick, injured people. It feels icky. I'm a princess. Why shouldn't I do what I want?"

"Because of our image…"

Naga laughed, and laughed, and then threw herself out of her chair and rolled on the ground as Phil turned red faced as smoke seemed to seep from his ears. And an intoxicatingly liberating feeling gripped Naga as that meanness that she struggled with exhibiting to everyone else flowed naturally as soon as her father challenged her true passion.

Phil's hand gripped into a fist as he took a deep breath, obviously about to unleash on her. Tesla put a hand on his arm, "Naga, go to your room for a bit."

"Oh, Daddy, you're so funny!" Naga said as she got up and walked to her room, "Off to study the evil black magic now. Bye-bye!"

"I ought to…" Phil fumed.

Tesla laughed a little at his expression, "Oh, darling. She's a teenager. She's supposed to experiment with stuff you don't like and mouth off. Don't take it personally. I'll talk to her later, remind her that it's okay to act like a brat to everyone but you and the king."

Phil shook his head as Amelia ran up and hugged him. He drew her onto his lap as he sighed. "Please, Amelia, stay as sweet as you are now when you become a teenager. I don't think I can go through the sassiness again."

Amelia leaned her head against his shoulder, "Of course, Daddy!"

* * *

"So, are you going to show me this secret room?" Tesla asked conspiratorially as she wrapped an arm around Naga.

"Why would you want to see it?" Naga asked as they walked down the hallway.

"Because good parents get involved in their kid's activities! I read that somewhere!" Tesla said proudly.

Naga clapped her on the shoulder, "You're the one who got me interested in magic."

"But not black magic." Tesla sang.

"Fine." Naga said as she started to walk to the secret corridor, "But don't tell Daddy where it is."

"I won't. If you keep in mind, there's a balancing act between being the best and not letting anyone tell you what to do, and respecting your father." Tesla said.

Naga fumed a little, "But he's so…"

"He's a dear, in his own way." Tesla cut in, "And he dotes on you two so."

"He doted on me until she was born." Naga corrected.

Tesla sighed, "Look, Amelia was the baby we never thought we would have. Until she was born we'd wondered if the family had been cursed. You can't exactly say that the sons of King Eldoran and Queen Gracia have been graced with an abundance of children."

"I know," Naga said sharply, "We're here."

"Well isn't this a neat little room." Tesla said as she looked around and spotted the door, "And does this really lead into the library?"

"It's right behind the tapestry of King Gideon."

Tesla cautiously opened the door and pushed the tapestry a bit as she stepped into the library, "Wow, I never knew about this place!"

Suddenly the hair on the back of Naga's neck seemed to stand on end as a chill ran through her. She looked around, but there was no one else in the room. As turned back to where Tesla was she whispered, "Mommy?"

From the library, she heard someone ask, "Princess Gracia?"

Tesla laughed, obviously enjoying being mistaken for her daughter. Naga tore through the tapestries and came up behind her mother as something hot and wet splashed across her, causing her to stop in her tracks. Tesla fell to the ground, and before her stood a man dressed as a guard holding a sword that was stained red.

"C-chaos string!" Naga yelled, and the tendrils of energy wrapped around a tall bookshelf crammed with heavy tombs. The man brought his sword up again, obviously posed to strike her, as Naga dragged the bookshelf down upon him as people started pouring into the library.

Time seemed to slow as Naga dropped to the ground beside her mother and tried to shake her, but when she did her torso, bisected from the right shoulder down to her left hip, disconnected from her lower body as the blood came gushing out. Naga started screaming hysterically as she tried to put her back together, and soon the blood was thick on her hands, and Naga screamed even louder. Someone grabbed her and tried to pull her away, but Naga fought to remain by Tesla's side as voices rang in a discombobulated whirlwind around her.

"Please, princess, we must get you to safety!"

"It's too late for a Resurrection spell."

"Try to revive her!"

"Princess Gracia, please move."

Two guards grabbed her and this time managed to pull her away, "We must get you to a safe place, Princess."

Naga lurched towards her mother, "I can't leave her! No! Let go of me!"

"He's been crushed to death." A different guard said as he examined the body under the bookshelf. "Princess Gracia nabbed the bastard."

"But now we won't be able to question him to learn who hired him!" a forth guard pointed out as the healer started to try to revive Tesla.

"Princess Gracia, please stop fighting us!" a guard said as Gracia tried to get back to her mother's side as the healers attempted to stop the bleeding and get her heart beating again.

"Let go of me!" Naga shrieked.

But more guards poured into the library and grabbed her and forced her out of the library and into the hallway and towards her families' apartments.

* * *

 **AN: Figuring out the ages of Naga, Amelia and Alfred was tricky, for two reasons especially. For one, Naga's age is never firmly established aside from around 20 when she was traveling with Lina. The other complication is that in the anime Amelia is slightly younger than Lina, while in the novels she is slightly older than Lina. I decide to go with anime continuity, and with my math it would mean that Naga and Amelia would have about an 8 year age gap (if Naga was 20 and Lina 13, that would be 7 years, so if Amelia is a year younger than Lina, it would be 8 years). As for Alfred, there is nothing to firmly establish his age, so I pegged him for a little younger than Naga.**

 **In the tokitama translations of the interview HK states that Naga was around 16-17 when her mother was assassinated.**

 **And I meant for this to be a oneshot, but it got too long (story of my life), so this will be a two parter. Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

Naga continued to scream hysterically as she was dragged down the hallway, causing people to run from their chambers to see what the commotion was about. As they made it to the wing where the royal family was housed she started to recognize her uncles and she started to calm down for a moment as the guards asked them to return to their rooms while Naga searched for the person she desperately wanted to see.

"What is going on here?" Phil bellowed as he finally stormed from his room, and the guards let her go as she ran to him and felt the fight drain from her as she threw her arms around him while Amelia looked wide eyed at her blood drenched dress.

"What's wrong?" Christopher asked, followed by Alfred as the guards looked at each other nervously as Naga sobbed.

One of the guards cleared his throat as he looked at Phil tepidly, "Your highness, I'm sorry to report that your wife has been attacked."

Phil stared at him blankly for a moment as Amelia paled while Alfred gasped. When Phil spoke he stuttered a little, "B-but she's fine, right? She's in the temple recovering."

"It's bad." The guard said, "But it was all we could do to get Princess Gracia to safety."

"Gracia was there?" Phil said as he slowly put it together, "Gracia! Are you alright?"

"Yes," Naga said, though it felt like a lie. How was it possible to be physically fine and still hurt so much?

"Take me to her!" Phil said.

"We're still securing the scene…"

"I order you to take me to her!" Phil bellowed as Naga let go and moved behind him.

"Yes, your highness." The guard said as a young woman, one of the few female sentries who kept watch over the baths, came up and gently grabbed Naga's elbow.

"Come, Princess Gracia, let's get you cleaned up."

"Yes." Naga said numbly as she watched as Phil, followed by Christopher, Randy and Alfred, walked down the hallway with the guards to the library. But in her heart she knew it was too late. There was no way her mother would have been able to survive that wound.

Amelia wrapped her arms around her waist as the guard started to lead her to her chambers. "I'm Joan. I'm going to make sure no one harms you."

"Hm." Naga said numbly.

"It will be okay, Sissy." Amelia said, "Mommy is a woman of justice. She'll be fine, you'll see!"

"Hm." Naga said again, and Amelia continued to prattle on about the virtues and rewards of justice as Joan navigated her into her chambers.

"Princess!" Mary, one of the maids, exclaimed when they walked in, "My goodness! Are you alright?"

"She's fine, but she will need a bath." Joan explained as she continued to navigate Naga to the baths while Mary ran ahead to get the room ready.

Yet as soon as Naga walked into the bathroom and saw her reflection in the large floor length mirror, she felt herself go lightheaded as she saw that her dress, which had been white, was now thoroughly soaked with blood, so much that it was nearly black in some places. Her hands looked like red gloves, and even her face was splattered with it. _There's no way she could have lost that much blood and lived!_ Naga thought before the world spun and she collapsed.

Naga had not even been able to watch the water as it swarmed in the drain as Mary and Amelia washed the blood off of her while Joan kept watch. She sat silently, eyes closed, until Amelia told her she was clean and it was safe to open them. Naga refused to soak in the bath. Instead, she asked for her robe and for her bedsheets to be turned down, "I'm afraid I can't let you go to sleep until you talk to Captain Tarleton. But we'll let you put your feet up."

Naga nodded as she went to the living room, noting that her body felt unusually heavy as Mary gave her a glass of brandy. She had just brought it to her lips when she heard her father wailing from the hallway while Amelia turned towards the sound looking scared. Naga drained the brandy. "More."

As the Mary filled her cup the door burst open, and Phil came in, supported by Eldoran on one side and Christopher on the other, and was followed by Randy and Alfred. At the sight of the blood on Phil's clothes, Naga felt herself go woozy once again as she got up and ran to the bathroom, "I'm going to barf."

Meanwhile, Amelia ran to Phil and threw her arms around him as she screamed. "Daddy!"

Phil knelt down and hugged her tightly as she asked, "But where's Mommy?"

"We were too late." He sobbed.

"But that's not possible!" Amelia said.

"I'm sorry, Amelia." Eldoran said as he put a hand on her back while Phil sobbed and continue to repeat "We were too late!"

"No, it's not possible! It wouldn't be just!" Amelia yelled before she ran off into her room, just as Naga was returning from the bathroom.

"Gracia, thank goodness you weren't hurt too!" Phil said as he ran to her and grabbed a hold of her.

"Yes," Eldoran said as he ran a hand through her hair while Christopher and Alfred made sounds of agreement. Randy, meanwhile, was stone faced as he pouted at the floor. "This tragedy could have been a lot worse."

Meanwhile, a tall man with the rankings of a captain stepped forward, "I'm sorry, Princess Gracia, but as the only witness, I have to ask you some questions."

"I know." Naga said, and Eldoran gently lead her to the couch while Phil's brothers supported him as he sat beside her and grabbed her hand.

"What can you tell us about what happened?" the Captain Tarleton asked.

"It was all so fast." She said. "Mommy was walking ahead of me and out the door. Then she fell, and I saw a man stand before her with a sword. He was going to strike me with it, but I used the Chaos String spell and moved a book case, and crushed him with it."

"Did he say anything?"

Naga hesitated. The assassin had said something. He had called her mother 'Princess Gracia.' Did that mean that the assassin had mistaken Tesla for her? That she had been the intended target? A sense of guilt webbed through her as tears leaked from her eyes, and the words stuck in her throat.

"I think that's enough for today." Eldoran said. "The Princess has been through a horrible ordeal. She needs rest."

Captain Tarleton didn't look happy, but nodded nonetheless, "Of course. I am truly sorry for your loss."

Naga took another drink of brandy as the captain left, and Mary came back in, "I'll help you to your bed."

* * *

At some point in the night, Amelia had crawled into bed with her, and was still sleeping when Naga woke up late the next day. _So I guess this means that this wasn't some horrible dream_. Naga thought as she stared at her younger sister. _Our mother is dead. How strange_.

Naga sat up in bed, her body still heavy with shock, as she wondered who would support her now. While Tesla had pushed her hard, she had always unabashedly cheered her on, because Tesla believed she was capable of being great. Never again would she have that warmth and security, someone who would so aggressively look after her interests. And the world seemed a lot crueler for it.

From down the hallway she heard voices, and she quietly grabbed her robe and put it on. She took a moment to stroke Amelia's dark hair before she tiptoed down the hallway, where Eldoran, Phil and Captain Tarleton were discussing things in hushed voices.

"It makes no sense to target Tesla." Eldoran said. "Unless it was retaliation. Perhaps someone in the Elmekian Empire wasn't happy with the treaty that my son was negotiating."

Naga thought back to the guard who was upset that the assassin had been killed and couldn't be questioned, and guilt started to push away the numbness. What if she had destroyed their chances of ever learning who had hired the assassin by killing him?

Meanwhile, Captain Tarleton said, "I'm troubled, though. Booley was right outside a hidden passage that Princess Gracia frequented often. Princess Tesla, meanwhile, was not known for going to the library and it was not expected for her to be there. If someone had been targeting Princess Tesla, they would have been in one of the ballrooms. I don't think Princess Tesla was the target. Further, someone would have had to have given Booley detailed information on the hidden passages in the castle, and if Princess Gracia was the target, they would have had to have told him where to find her."

Naga felt her breath constrict as her panic rose while Eldoran asked, "But who would do that?"

"Princess Gracia's potential male heirs are contenders for the throne, and would place several family members further in the succession line." Captain Tarleton, with a hint of nerves in his voice, as Naga tried to keep her breathing even.

"Surely you aren't implying that one of my sons was involved!" Eldoran shouted indignantly.

"My apologies, your majesty, however, I have to explore every avenue."

"I raised my sons better than to stoop to that!" Eldoran insisted as Naga felt her knees go weak. "I won't hear of it!"

"Yes, your majesty." Captain Tarleton said. "Of course, if it was the Elmekian Empire, targeting a daughter would be just as effective as targeting Prince Philionel's wife."

Naga started to stumble in, feeling incredibly unsteady as Phil got up to hug her, "Daughter! How are you?"

"Fine." Naga said, feeling that disconnect once again. Physically she was fine, but the pain in her mind was overwhelming. She suddenly wished she were covered in bruises to give the pain a tangible form that others could see.

"Can you tell us anything more about what happened?" Captain Tarleton asked as Naga sat down with Phil.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Did Booley say anything?"

"Booley?"

"The man who killed your mother. He was an assassin named Booley." Captain Tarleton explained.

Naga buried her face in her hands as she sobbed, "He addressed my mother as 'Princess Gracia!' He was wanting to kill me! If she hadn't been with me I would be dead!"

"But you didn't say this last night!" Eldoran said as Naga continued to sob.

"I felt so bad!"

"You must have dreamt it." Eldoran said. "Survivor's guilt. And please get a hold of yourself!"

Naga shook her head as tears fell while Phil patted her on the back. "I wish I had."

"Was there anything else that's important?" Captain Tarleton asked.

"I don't think so." Naga replied.

"Thank you, Princess. I will do my best to find whoever hired him."

"Check Alfred out carefully." Naga said. "He's up to something."

"Gracia!" Eldoran exclaimed. "Pay her no mind! She's a hysterical teenage girl!"

"I'm a what?" Naga said, a dangerous edge to her voice.

"Captain Tarleton," Phil cut in, "How did Booley manage to infiltrate our ranks? He was wearing the clothing of one of our sentries."

"We're still trying to work that out." Captain Tarleton said, "He was not officially hired by us, though. He must have stolen the clothing from somewhere."

"Thank you, Captain." Phil said.

"Do you have any more questions?"

"I think we're done for now." Phil said tiredly, "At least, this is as much as I can take for now."

The Captain got up to leave, and Eldoran got up as well, "I'll give you two some time." He said. "Captain, a word please."

Phil and Naga were quiet until they had left, and then Phil asked Gracia, "Did Booley really address your mother as Gracia?"

Naga nodded. "I'm sorry."

He held her hand, "She would have wanted it this way. No parent wants to outlive their child."

"That doesn't make it all better!" Naga snapped as Amelia walked in and ran up to Phil's lap.

"I know." Phil said as he cuddled Amelia close to him.

"What are we going to do about this?" Naga asked.

"We're going to take it one day at a time." Phil said wisely.

"But what if it was one of our uncles? Or Alfred?" Naga persisted.

Phil sighed, "I don't know Gracia. I can't see either of them doing this. We're going to need more evidence than whether or not you were the target."

A sudden rage tore through Naga, "We'll we're not going to get it if Grandpa contains Captain Tarleton's investigation! Do you really think it's just a coincidence that this happened the day after Alfred discovered my secret room?"

"Right now Alfred is fourth in line for the throne. Why would he risk that all by targeting you?" Phil asked, "I know you're grieving and looking for someone to blame. But Captain Tarleton is a thorough man. He will do his duty. We're too close to this, Gracia. We can't see this rationally."

Naga brustled as every word he spoke seemed to drip with condescension. "And meanwhile I live side by side with someone who ordered a hit on me!"

"Please don't fight!" Amelia whispered.

"I won't let anything happen to you." Phil said.

"Just like you protected Mommy." Naga said sardonically.

"Please don't fight." Amelia repeated, louder this time, her voice wobbly, and Phil looked as though he had been punched in the gut. "It's not just."

"Just!" Naga shrieked as she laughed while Amelia burst into tears, "Where's the justice?"

"There's always justice." Phil said, "Sometimes it's hard to see. And sometimes it stumbles when people fail to act…"

"So because I failed to act in time Mommy is dead?" Naga said as the pain welled up as she stood up.

"No! You couldn't have prevented this! You're just a young girl. Sometimes this stuff happens for a larger purpose." Phil said.

"Young girl?" Naga repeated dangerously before she yelled, "What larger purpose could justify this? How can you two talk about justice now? There is no justice! And if grandpa nicks the investigation there never will be justice! And don't come crying to me when one of those uncles you hold in such esteem reveals his true nature!"

She got up and stormed back into her bedroom, slamming the door closed behind her and locked it, her father's words echoing through her mind. Justice stumbles when people fail to act. She had realized something wasn't right, but rather than pulling her mother back into the room with her or attacking first, she had hesitated. She hadn't acted.

 _Young girl._

What if she had been stronger? More confident? What if she had acted? Would her mother be here now?

Naga closed her eyes as the pain became unbearable. She walked over to her bed and pulled out a bottle of wine from underneath and opened it. If it could help her get through her court appearances, why wouldn't it help her with this?

* * *

Naga was drunk out of her mind when Captain Tarleton returned, but she was confident no one would notice. She had swallowed a whole tin of mints after all! She walked carefully to the table and sat down between her father and grandfather. Amelia had begged to go, but Phil had insisted she remain in her chambers.

"The Elmekian connection is looking stronger." Captain Tarleton began.

"What?" Naga exclaimed.

"Upon examining Booley's body a letter written in one of the codes used in the Elmekian Empire was discovered."

"B-but,"Naga said, "Uncle Randy is an expert in Elmekian codes."

"Gracia!" Eldoran admonished.

"We have to consider all the possibilities!" Naga slushed.

Eldoran narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, "You're drunk."

Naga folded her arms under her breasts indignantly, "I am not."

"You are! Don't argue with me! I am the king!" Eldoran said. "If you weren't grieving…"

Phil got up, "Let's all sit down and see what Captain Tarleton has to say. Remember, we all want to find out who killed our beloved Tesla."

Naga snorted, but sat down, and soon Eldoran and Phil sat down as well. Captain Tarleton took a deep breath, "Some witnesses recall seeing Booley digging through the trash to find the uniforms."

"Aside from the damn code, what do you have to link him to the Elmekian Empire?" Naga asked.

"Nothing, yet. We're working on it." Captain Tarleton said.

"And what about to the royal family?"

Phil slapped his forehead as Eldoran stiffened.

Captain Tarleton shifted again and adjusted his collar. "It's all coincidence. But the layout of the castle…"

"Which any member of the family could have innocently given away without realizing they were talking to a spy!" Eldoran yelled. "I'm starting to doubt your motives, Gracia!"

"Gracia, please sit down!" Phil said.

Naga glared at him disdainfully, "I thought you loved her enough to at least find her killer, no matter how painful finding him may be."

Phil turned red, "Right now there's not enough evidence to say anything! And to believe that my own brother would do this, well, I'd have to see it with my own eyes!"

Naga laughed and she twirled unsteadily, and Captain Tarleton quickly cut in, "There is a third possibility."

"Yes?" Eldoran said.

Captain Tarleton took a deep breath, "There has been some unusual activity, lots of communication out of Seyruun, that leads me to conclude that someone within the kingdom orchestrated this. But it doesn't necessarily mean a relative. In court, everyone has an angle. Be it the nobleman who thinks that Prince Christopher, for instance, would pursue his interests more than Prince Phil, or the low ranking courtier who believes that getting into Prince Randionel's good graces means he would receive land if Prince Randionel came into power, there are a lot of people who would love to see the current line of succession shaken up. And, to ensure that their preferred royal remained innocent, it would be in their interests to keep their preferred royal in the dark. Plausible deniability."

"This," Phil said solemnly, "This I could see. You have my permission to interrogate whomever you need to."

Eldoran did not look happy, but said nothing as Naga said, "I won't rest until my uncles and cousin are under serious investigation."

"You just can't let it go." Eldoran muttered.

"Come on," Phil said as he grabbed Naga by the arm. She was going to protest, but as she pulled away she lost her balance and fell on the floor.

"I should have kicked her out the moment she stepped in inebriated. I don't want to see her until she's sobered up!" Eldoran snapped.

"I'm not drunk!" Naga insisted as she got up and dusted herself off.

"Don't argue with your grandfather!" Phil said as he grabbed her again and started towards the hallway. Once the door was closed behind them he whispered, "What's gotten into you? You're drinking! And sassing your grandfather? You'd better go sleep this off before the funeral tomorrow."

"I won't stop! You aren't even trying to find her killer."

"Keep your voice down!" Phil insisted as people stopped to stare.

"Not when you are so blinded by your idealism that you won't even bother to consider your brothers as suspects, when all the evidence is pointing to them! Grow up, Daddy!" she yelled, before she tore off down the hallway, leaving Phil looking baffled in her wake as he wondered just what was happening to their family.

* * *

Naga's head pounded as she sat through her mother's funeral, but in many ways she was grateful for the pain. She no longer had to say she was fine. She could say she had a headache. That she hurt. The anguish she felt was manifest.

She held hands with Amelia as they walked up to Tesla's casket. Amelia burst into tears as Naga reflected that someone had done a good job of stitching her back together. Tesla looked as though she could walk up and leave at any moment. She didn't look dead. Gingerly Naga reached out and grabbed her hand. She yelped a little as she realized it was stone cold and she brought it back as Amelia threw her arms around her and buried her head in her skirts. Naga stroked her hair as she felt her father come up from behind them and wrap an arm around each of them.

They stood, quietly weeping, as they paid their respects until Christopher walked up with Alfred who took one look at Tesla's body and dissolved into a pile of loud, wailing tears. "Oh Aunt Tesla!" he moaned as he fell to the ground and started pounding on the floor, "What a cruel world to lose you!"

Naga's mind felt as though it stopped working as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing as Amelia looked at him pityingly. "I never realized how much Mommy meant to him! He's taking this so hard!"

"Oh, dear Uncle Phil!" Alfred said as he got up and hugged him, "I am so, so sorry."

And with that, Phil's composure snapped as he joined Alfred in bawling loudly. Naga shook her head in disbelief. Alfred couldn't be sincere. It seemed so fake, almost as though he was a paid, professional mourner. Why couldn't anyone else see it?

Then Naga's eyes fell on Christopher, who was blushing slightly, as though embarrassed by Alfred's display. Randy, meanwhile, blew his nose as King Eldoran looked at them mournfully. Naga's pulse raced as she wondered which of them had done it. Christopher, who seemed to be doing his best to attract the least amount of attention. But why? So he could get away with murder? Or was it Randy, who had always been Phil's yes-man, overeager to please and happy to indulge Phil in his reckless adventures. Was it all a mask to gain Phil's confidence while he stabbed him in the back? Or Alfred, with his crocodile tears, almost as though he was wanting to convince people that he gave a damn about Tesla so no one would believe it was him in a million years?

Naga was sure it was one of them. She simply didn't know which one. But as Alfred let lose another fake sob, Naga felt herself snap as she went up, pulled him from Phil, and smacked him.

"Gracia…" Phil said, astonished as Alfred grabbed his nose, which was bleeding, while Christopher gave an indignant shout.

"What was that for?" Alfred asked, his voice slightly muffled.

"It wasn't your mother who died!" Naga snapped. "Pull yourself together!"

"I'm sorry," Alfred said as he smiled a little, "I didn't realize I was taking the spotlight from you."

Naga raised her hand again as Amelia wrapped her arms around her and pulled her back, "Please don't fight at her casket!"

Naga tore her arms from Amelia and folded her them under her breasts, the anger radiating off of her in waves, "I want him gone."

"Gracia, compose yourself!" Eldoran said.

"I wasn't the one shrieking like a banshee!" Naga protested.

"I've been giving you a lot of leeway…" Eldoran began.

"Oh, am I supposed to be grateful?" she snapped as Phil came forward while Eldoran turned red.

"She is out of control!"

"It's the grief." Phil explained.

"Stop talking about me as if I'm crazy!" she yelled.

"Please," Amelia yelled, "Can we put this aside for another day? This day is about our mother!"

"Yes," Phil said, "Let's put this aside for now. For your mother's sake."

Naga bit her lip but looked at her mother's casket, and desperately wished she would come to life to tell her what she needed to do. But as that was not going to happen, she was just going to have to put her trust in herself. She walked over to the seats that were reserved for the royal family, took her seat, and waited for the service to begin.

* * *

Naga left the funeral as soon as she could, desperate for some quiet and wine. And considering that her father had seen to it that no wine was to be served at the funeral, she'd had to steal into the wine cellar first to get it. But once procured and with one bottle drunk, and another cradled in her arms, Naga returned to her chambers and tiptoed through the living room where Phil was napping with Amelia on the couch, and went into her mother's room and then into her mother's closet, which was about as large as her room. Naga wanted nothing more than to be close to her. And since every dress Tesla had worn since becoming Phil's bride was in there, the room still smelled of her. Naga chugged at the wine as she ran her hand along the dresses, savoring the material, remembering the times that Tesla had worn the dresses and allowing herself to get lost in the memories.

It was sometime before she found a giftwrapped box with her name on it. Naga picked it up, curious, and then remembered that her birthday was coming up. Was this the last gift her mother would ever give her?

Naga sat down on the floor and cradled the box for a moment and felt the roughness of paper against her skin, and pulled it back to realize that there was a note on it. Her heart raced as she opened it, desperate for some of her mother's guidance.

Dearest Naga,

Never be afraid to show the world your strengths! Act high handed, and remember always, that you are royalty! And don't let your fears hold you back! To help, I bestow upon you this outfit. Wearing it will help you learn to always be confident in yourself, for if you can stand proudly while wearing this, then no crowd will be able to unnerve you!

All my love,

Mommy

Naga's filled with tears as took another sip of wine. This was just what she had been looking for! Someone who wouldn't dismiss her as a young, emotional girl, but as someone to be taken seriously! Suddenly she was overwhelmingly curious about what was in the box that could give her the power to always be confident.

She tore the wrapping paper off of the box and found that she was completely unprepared for what was inside. Or rather, how little was inside. Naga blushed as she looked at it. There didn't look to be enough in there to properly cover anything, with the exception of the cape. How was wearing this supposed to instill her with confidence?

Naga took another long sip and finished the bottle and tossed it to a corner of the closet as she stared at the outfit and wondered just what Tesla's game had been and how anyone was supposed to take her seriously if she was wearing that. And then a moment of clarity occurred. If she could feel comfortable in her skin while wearing a ridiculous outfit that left her exposed, then people could no longer hold fear over her. And if no one could scare her, no one could control her and she could force them to take her seriously with her might and her power!

Naga looked at the outfit once more, and decided that she was going to need a lot more wine first. She grabbed the box and headed towards the secret passage to the wine cellar.

* * *

Naga looked down, and it was almost like trying to stare at her toes when she was naked. That was how little cloth covered her breasts. Naga thanked her mother for the fact that she had included some body glue so that the material wouldn't slip. She moved, and suddenly had a new worry about her spiked shoulder guards poking her eye out. Really, in addition to not covering much the outfit felt downright dangerous to wear!

She adjusted the shoulder guards to try to keep them from her face and took a deep breath. There was no mirror in the wine cellar, just a bunch of empty bottles. She picked one up and tried to get her reflection in it, but gave it up. It was time to see what happened when she went into public.

Unsteadily she walked out of the cellar. The hallway was empty, aside from a sentry a few doors down. Naga squared her shoulders and kept her back straight and her head held high. Or rather, she tried to. The amount she had drunk had surpassed all of her previous drinking binges combined! She worked to keep her gait even as she approached the sentry. Meanwhile, the sentries' eyes grew bigger and bigger as his mouth dropped.

Naga did her best to keep from blushing, but then, her face was already flushed from the alcohol. And once she reached him she leaned in close and put her hand against the wall, leaving the barest amount of space between the sentry and her breasts. "Do you want to have me?" she asked.

"Y-yes." He stuttered, his voice unnaturally high.

Naga was once more confused by the lack of any feelings of desire for him. She was drunk, nearly naked, and face to face with an attractive man. But there was not a whiff of attraction on her part. She pulled back as she folded her arms under her breasts, "It must be hard to be you, then!"

The sentry blushed, and Naga laughed as she walked away, noting that she had felt a jolt of pleasure at putting him in his place as she wondered why she had resisted acting like this before. It was so much easier to act mightier than everyone else! And if she had the upper hand, then her father and grandfather would think twice before attempting to shut her up about the investigation.

* * *

Phil's eyes bulged out of his head and he nearly spat out his coffee when Naga walked in wearing the outfit her mother had left her, and Naga felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Perhaps this wouldn't be too bad. Beside him, Amelia's eyes grew to the size of saucer cups as she said, "Sissy, what are you wearing!?"

Phil dissolved into tears as Naga started laughing while Amelia's eyes welled up, "Daddy, make her stop! She's scaring me!" Amelia whined.

"Amelia, you are still such a whiny little baby!" Naga replied flippantly.

Phil, meanwhile, between massive sobs said, "I thought I'd seen a ghost for a moment! Your mother used to wear something like that before we got married. For a moment I thought…I thought you were her!"

Naga stumbled a bit to the table _._ That was not the reaction she had been expecting, and she didn't know what to make of it.

Amelia, meanwhile, shrieked, "You mean Mommy dressed like a…a…a villain!"

"It's not a costume for a villain." Phil explained, "It's a training device to gain confidence."

"But are you really going to let her walk around in that?" Amelia persisted, horrified.

"Well, I was ready to do away with the tradition, but your mother insisted and I guess went ahead with it. And I can't go against her final wishes…"

Amelia screamed in frustration and ran off to her room and slammed the door behind her.

"Oh, can it!" Naga sloshed, angry that Phil wasn't demanding that she put some clothes on as she stumbled to the table.

Phil sniffed the air a bit, "Have you been drinking?"

"None of your business!" Naga said. "What are we doing about the investigation?"

"Captain Tarleton is doing everything he can…"

"Has he interviewed Uncle Christopher and Uncle Randy? And Alfred?"

Phil shook his head in exasperation. "Gracia…"

"NAGA!" she snapped.

"Naga, they decoded the letter. Booley was hired by the Elmekians."

"That's not possible!" Naga said.

"You're going to have to give it up!" he said, exasperated.

"Never!" she said as she got up and stormed into her own room.

* * *

When Naga awoke the next morning, her head was pounding. She moaned, and searched her room for a bottle. Yet her stash was missing. Grimly she concluded that her father must have raided her room as she slept to gather it all.

Groggily she got up and put her robe on, determined to go to the wine cellar to get more. When she made it to her living room, her father was sitting there, looking concerned. "Naga," he said as he indicated a seat, "Sit down. We need to talk."

She groaned, but did as he asked. "What?"

"Look, this path you're going down. The drinking, the disrespect, the obsession…"

"How do we know the letter wasn't planted to point us to the Elmekian Empire?" she asked.

Phil sighed, "I think I was wrong to try to stop you from pursuing black magic."

"Huh?" Naga said, surprised by the abrupt change in topic.

"The court is a much more dangerous place than I would like it to be. Perhaps if I had encouraged you to do everything you could to be strong rather than focusing on our image, things would have been different." He said. "So I was thinking. You stop drinking, and I'll order you a whole library worth of books on black magic!"

Naga felt her eyes well up and was on the verge of accepting, when she remembered her mother telling her to never settle for the first offer. "That's not enough. If all I do is read then how will I get any practical knowledge? It's time for me to set out and train in black magic and become the strongest black magic sorceress there is!"

Naga wasn't sure where the idea had come from, but once she had spoken it, she suddenly realized that all she wanted to do was to get as far away from Seyruun and her family as she could. Especially now that her mother was dead. In Seyruun someone would always be around to put her down. But out in the real world she could learn how to be powerful and feared so that when she returned, she could put them in their place!

When she returned, she would force her grandfather to investigate her uncles and Alfred, and bring the person who hired Booley to justice!

Phil frowned, "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"But you can't!" Amelia shrieked as she jumped up from her hiding spot from behind the couch, "We need to band together and comfort one another right now! You can't leave after we lost Mommy!"

"No, I need to be stronger!" Naga said, even if she did feel a tugging at her heart at the thought of leaving Amelia in the midst of the Seyruun court. Still, she couldn't spend her life protecting Amelia. That was Phil's job. "If I'd been stronger, then I could have saved her!"

Amelia went and curled up in her lap and threw her arms around her as she buried her head in her neck, "Please, Sissy!"

"It seems me leaving would fix a lot of things. I'm sure Grandpa wouldn't mind."

Phil fumed for a moment, and then said, "Well, once again, it is tradition. So if this is what you feel you have to do…"

"Daddy!" Amelia protested.

"Perhaps it is time."

Naga stood up, sending Amelia spilling from her lap as she laughed while she posed, "Then I, Naga, shall get ready right away…"

Suddenly she moaned as she brought her hand to her temple, "Oh, as soon as I take something for this damn hangover!"

"Yes, um, I would recommend cutting back." Phil said nervously.

Naga smiled deceptively, "Of course, Daddy."

* * *

Naga swung her head back as she stepped out of the bounds of the palace and enjoyed the feel of the wind blowing through her long, heavy hair as she laughed. Strangely, the more she wore the outfit her mother left her, the less inhibited she became, though the shoulder guards were going to take a while to get used to.

This would be just the ticket. She would go out into the world, study black magic, become the most powerful sorceress that ever was, and when she returned to Seyruun, no one would dare to dismiss her ever again! The kingdom would quiver in terror at her feet. And it would be glorious!


End file.
